In a fiery exchange about his business dealings, Donald Trump told the ABC's Americas editor he was "hurting Australia very much".
"Your leader is coming over to see me very soon," Mr Trump told reporter John Lyons.
"I'm going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone."
The president's remarks appear to confirm he will soon meet face-to-face with his counterpart Anthony Albanese.
Neither American nor Australian officials have announced a date for the talks.
Mr Lyons irked the president by asking if it was appropriate for a US leader to be "engaged in so much business activity" while in office.
Mr Trump said his children were running his business.
ABC News director Justin Stevens said Mr Lyons was "one of the most experienced and respected reporters in Australia".
"His job is to ask questions. He has the ABC's full support," he said.
Some of the strongest criticism of Mr Trump's remarks has come from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
"Why is Donald Trump threatening journalists? Our allies deserve respect, not intimidation," his press office posted on X.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the reporter's line of questioning appeared to be a legitimate one.
"I respect the ABC and I respect its independence and that extends to not second-guessing the questions asked legitimately by journalists at press conferences," he told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.
"Journalists have a job to do and as far as I can tell that journalist was just doing his job."
Mr Lyons, an award-winning journalist, defended his question.
"Our job as journalists is to ask questions that the average person would be interested in," he told ABC TV.
"The average person in Australia would be interested in 'how is a president becoming so wealthy in office'."
A social media account linked to the White House said Mr Trump had smacked "down a rude foreign Fake News loser".
Other federal MPs from across the political divide defended the ABC, saying journalists had the right to ask difficult questions.
"Trump is a bully. He thinks he can bully the press and he thinks he can bully Australia," Greens communication spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said.
She urged Mr Albanese to raise the incident when he sits down with Mr Trump.
But Liberal senator and former ABC journalist Sarah Henderson said the national broadcaster needed to explain itself.
"At a time when trade, defence and national security are such crucial issues in our relationship with our closest ally, it would be helpful if the ABC could explain this line of questioning," she said on X.
"Australians should expect the highest standards of our publicly funded national broadcaster."
The prime minister is preparing to travel to the US in coming days for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.
A face-to-face with Mr Trump, either on the sidelines of the UN summit in New York or at the White House in Washington DC, now appears confirmed.
The opposition has repeatedly criticised Mr Albanese for failing to meet with Mr Trump, several months into his second term.
10°C